Jake approached Lumiose City, exhilaration in his heart; he would soon be at the City of Light itself, the metropolis of the Kalos region. The Prism Tower awaited him, as well as museums and five-star restaurants. There would be hundreds of people there. So many!

However, one thing dampened his mood. A lot of those people would be pokemon trainers. As Pokemon trainers, they would be ready to battle or trade. What did Jake have for battle or trade? A simple scatterbug. He need a new, better Pokemon. A simple scatterbug would not let Jake meet the challenges he would face in the city.

Jake slowed his pedaling and observed the nearby forest. The treetops shined with green verdancy, and flowers covered the forest floor. For most people, it would be easy to go into this forest and catch a few grass-type pokemon.

It was not easy for Jake to do the same.

Though it was a the main method of getting new pokemon, Jake could not catch wild ones. He had a deathly fear of wild pokemon, a fear that could almost be classified as a phobia. This fear was created by an event that had happened to Jake rather recently. Despite its recentness, Jake had wiped the incident out of his memory. But he still had the fear, and he didn't know why. Now he wouldn't be able catch any more wild pokemon, even a scatterbug.

This left Jake with few options of obtaining new pokemon. He could go to one of those places that give a pokemon to starting trainers, but he didn't know of one. Even if he did, they would only give him a single one; two pokemon were not sufficient for a journey. He couldn't purchase a Pokemon. That was likely illegal. If he got someone else to catch a pokemon for him, it would become attached to the other person.

That left Jake with a last resort—steal another trainer's Pokemon. It was like catching wild pokemon, but they weren't as aggressive, hostile, or sporadic. Mentally, it was much easier for Jake. He had to do it. He knew it was wrong, and he knew it would hurt the other trainers. But Jake had no other way because of his phobia. He would only catch enough as needed for his journey, he assured himself. No more than that.

When Jake came from his thinking, he was surprised by his surroundings. The Prism Tower used to be a spire in the distance. It had gotten much closer. The wheels of Jake's bike no longer rolled over grass and dirt road—they were upon a street in the grand Lumiose City.

A smile grew on Jake's face. Then it quickly died. Jake knew that he would soon be a thief, and it killed him. As a trainer, he felt inferior to all of the other ones there. They had caught their pokemon, and their pokemon were strong, well-trained and loved. Jake had a scatterbug that he loved but couldn't train properly due to his fear, and he would have to steal pokemon due to his fear as well. What kind of trainer was he?

"Hey, you're new!" A trainer came from his side, a glowing smile on his face. "Where are you from?"

"I'm... from Shalour. Shalour City," Jake r.

"Sweet!" the trainer said, "Did you already beat Korrina? I'm having trouble, because most of my pokemon are normal types. Weak against fighting."

"I actually just started my journey."

"Oh, did you? Well, you chose a good place to start. Lumiose City is the best! There's so much stuff to do. I'm here to beat the gym leader, but I keep getting distracted. Oops, I guess I forgot to introduce myself..."

Jake tuned the trainer out and broke eye contact with him. This guy could hold a conversation with a wall. Jake's eyes wandered for a bit, then settled on the frogadier by the trainer's feet. If he was going to steal a pokemon, Jake thought it might as well be then. He wanted to get over with it.

Jake slipped his hand into his pocket and fumbled for a pokeball. His heart and stomach felt like they emptied themselves, a sort of moral block that prevented him from throwing the pokeball. Jake closed his eyes and hesitated. Soon, the feeling subsided. He tossed the pokeball at the frogadier.

The frogadier was absorbed in a flash of red light. Before the trainer could react, Jake had leaned on his bike and just barely grabbed the squirming ball. Then he hurriedly pedaled away.

"Hey—what?" the trainer said from behind, "Did you just—hey! That kid just stole my pokemon! Thief!"

"I'm... I'm sorry!" Jake feebly said back.

One hand holding the pokeball and the other holding the bike's handles, Jake steered into a nearby alleyway. He had thought it would be a simple ride through the narrow alley, but there was a tall gate that prevented him from biking through. He couldn't turn around; they would get him if he did that.

Jake hated to do it, but he got off his bike and left it on the ground. Then he climbed atop the dumpster and jumped on the gate, which he slowly scaled.

"That's him! Right there!" Footsteps sounded at the end of the alley. "We need to get him!"

Clenching his teeth, Jake finally got over the fence and dropped down. It was a long fall, and he stumbled upon landing. He quickly regained himself. He heard people trying to climb the gate as well. After giving another apology to the trainers, Jake held the pokeball tightly and dashed again.

Freedom was at the end of the alley, it seemed to Jake. He wiped the sweat from his face and neared the exit. Guilt rose from within him, and he let out a sigh. But Jake wasn't truly free, and when he emerged a hand reached for him and grabbed his hood.

"I've got him! I've got him!" the girl called, "Come quick!"

Like a pokemon, Jake used Struggle. He jerked and kept trying to push her away. Finally, he attempted to sprint away. Like a pokemon that used Struggle, Jake took recoil damage by falling backwards.

"Let me go!" Jake turned and pried at her fingers. "You've got the wrong person!"

"Oh, yeah?" She pointed at Jake's hand. "Why do you have pokeball? You stole it!"

"It-it's my scatterbug!" Furtively, Jake grabbed the sleeve of his hoodie and worked to pull his arm in.

"Hah! Is that why you steal? Because you only have a scatterbug?"

"...no, it's not!" He glanced at the alley. The other trainers were making their way down the gate...

"Pathetic!" she said, and pulled at his hood.

"You're the pathetic one!" Jake retorted.

"And what do you mean by that, hmm?"

"I mean this!"

Jake yanked his hoodie over his head. This freed himself from the girl's grip, and he zipped away with a burst of speed. The girl stared at the unoccupied hoodie for a moment, then she ran after Jake shouting "Get back here!".

There was a way to another route down the street. It was the way to Route Four. Jake looked downwards with his eyes shut as he ran for it. The thought of returning the frogadier crossed his mind. Maybe he should just give it back, apologize, and never steal again. He would just quit being a pokemon trainer. He just wasn't fit for it anymore.

But Jake dispelled all of these thoughts; he desired to become a master trainer and beat the Pokemon League. If this was the only way that could happen, so be it. It was a way of thievery to become more powerful, a way of necessity. It was selfish and wrong, he knew. But he didn't know—couldn't remember why he had a phobia of wild pokemon. It was unfair to him, he thought, so he would be unfair to others.

As soon as Jake made it to Route Four, he became a pokemon thief on the run.